At least 22 dead after South Korea lithium battery factory fire

At least 22 people have died after a large fire tore through a lithium battery manufacturing factory near South Korea’s capital on Monday.

Officials declared the workers dead after the blaze erupted at the Aricell factory in Hwaseong, a province just south of capital Seoul.

Rescue workers retrieved bodies after combing through the site where people were examining and packaging batteries before the blaze occurred, local fire official Kim Jin-young told a televised briefing.

The fire began at 10.31am (01.31am GMT) after a series of battery cells exploded inside a warehouse with some 35,000 units, Mr Kim said. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be investigated.

Most factory workers found dead were foreign nationals, including some 18 Chinese and one Laotian workers. Nationalities of the others remain unknown.

Mr Kim said a witness told authorities that the incident followed batteries exploding.

He added that the victims likely failed to escape via stairs to the ground.

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office earlier ordered officials to mobilise all available personnel and equipment to find survivors.

Lithium batteries are used in devices such as phones, laptops and electric vehicles and have been known to explode once they overheat, are overcharged or submerged in water.

South Korea is a leading exporter of lithium batteries, boasting some of the top players in the industry such as LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI.